Sweden in Focus

This week’s Sweden in Focus Extra features an interview with AI consultant Anna Bärlund, who won an appeal last week against her Swedish citizenship rejection.

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On June 6th, Sweden rolled out major new citizenship reforms that included increasing the length of time that the partners of Swedish citizens have to live in Sweden before they become eligible for citizenship from three years to seven years.

What's more, the government didn't include transitional rules for those already in the queue despite the protestations of legal experts.

Consequently, many people who met the requirements when they applied are now being rejected. Until now Sweden's courts have sided with the Migration Agency, so when The Local's Emma Löfgren learned that Anna Bärlund had won her appeal, she was curious to find out more.

READ ALSO:

• AI consultant wins appeal under Sweden’s new citizenship rules

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This week: Tortuous efforts to form a government, plans to stop teen deportations, how new rules on family reunification could make life harder for university researchers, and what do The Local’s readers miss most when living in Sweden?

The four parties that claimed victory in the election are still a long way from forming a government, but there has been movement this week as they agreed to meet in person.

The parties will meet on Friday at a luxury hotel on the island of Lidingö, near Stockholm. But the plan is not to negotiate; instead they will be given a series of briefings on the problems facing Sweden.

The initiative came from the Centre Party, which has taken a lot of the blame for the lack of progress due to its insistence that the Left Party be denied ministerial posts in any coalition. But will it break the deadlock?

Host James Savage is joined this week by panelists Mandy Pipher and Richard Orange.

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Here are links to some of the topics discussed in the episode:

• Four-party meeting set to test Sweden's government potential
• Magdalena Andersson once again given job of building new Swedish government

• What's in Sweden's new law on family reunification?
• Q&A: How will Sweden's new family immigration law affect researchers?
• Q&A: Who is affected by Sweden's new law on family immigration?

• Sweden's centre-left parties agree on halting teen deportations
• Sweden's migration minister pledges long-term solution to teen deportations

• 'Flavourful food and friendliness': What foreigners in Sweden miss from 'home'

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Gift Blessing is only 24 years old, but has already achieved an enormous amount. He is a rapper, an author, a newspaper columnist, and a poet.

He came to Sweden as a quota refugee from the Democratic Republic of Congo as a young child. He broke through to public consciousness in 2021 with a bravura rap performance in Sweden's Got Talent (Talang).

Last month he was made Sweden's official reading ambassador with a mission to get young people reading.

And this week he is releasing an anthology of writing in English from writers from all around the world, but who are based in Stockholm.

This week's Sweden in Focus Extra features Gift Blessing in conversation with The Local's James Savage.

READ ALSO:

• In Sweden, there are only good, bad, ugly and evil immigrants – a recent long read for The Local by Faisal Khan, one of the contributors to the new anthology, 'Upon All the Living'.

Thumbnail photo by Maja Brand.

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Magdalena Andersson was acclaimed as the winner of Sweden’s election. Four parties – adding up to a majority – said they wanted her to be prime minister, and she was charged by the speaker with forming a government. Yet on Monday she threw in the towel.

The immediate pretext was the decision by the Left Party to support the re-election of speaker Andreas Norlén, a Moderate, over the Social Democrats’ own candidate.

But it followed two weeks in which Andersson had failed to get the Centre Party, Left Party and Greens to so much as take a cup of coffee with each other.

Now it’s up to the speaker to find someone else willing to have a go.

Host James Savage is joined this week by panelists Emma Löfgren and Richard Orange.

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Here are links to some of the topics discussed in the episode:

• Social Democrat Magdalena Andersson abandons attempt to form a government
• Strategy or spite? Why is Magda giving up on forming Sweden's next government?
• EXPLAINED: What needs to happen for Sweden to get a new prime minister?
• From the obvious to the unthinkable: Nine options for Sweden's government

• 'But what are the rules?': My interview with the Swedish Migration Agency's legal chief

Thumbnail photo: Left Party leader Nooshi Dadgostar and Centre Party leader Elisabeth Thand Ringqvist take part in a party leader discussion hosted by RFSL during Stockholm Pride. Photo: Stefan Jerrevång/TT

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Sweden's government tightened rules for citizenship earlier this year without transitional rules for people who had already applied. The new rules require eight years of residency instead of five for most applicants, and would-be citizens must now pass language and civics tests.

The Migration Court in Malmö looked very closely recently at a case in which an applicant appealed for their right to be awarded citizenship according to the old rules. But the court ruled against the citizenship applicant in a blow to people who had waited in the queue and were hoping to become Swedish citizens under the rules that were in place at the time of application.

Some hope was restored however when the judge told The Local's Richard Orange that an appeal to a higher court could succeed.

In this week's episode you can hear an excerpt from the interview with Judge Löndahl we well as a studio discussion about the case and what happens next.

Host James Savage is joined this week by panelists Emma Löfgren and Richard Orange.

READ ALSO:

• Chief judge expects Swedish citizenship case to head to highest migration court
• INTERVIEW: 'The last word has not yet been said on Swedish citizenship'

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In this week's podcast: Electoral fraud allegations, complex coalition building, Candy Crush maker faces strike action, and how do Swedes say 'Digestive biscuit'?

Negotiations between the centre-left parties are ongoing after they won a wafer thin majority in last week’s election.

But now a voter fraud scandal involving the Left Party threatens to derail the whole process.

Police are investigating the circumstances surrounding the election of a Left Party Member of Parliament in the Dalarna region. What do know about the allegations so far? And could the scandal lead to a revote?

Host James Savage is joined this week by panelists Emma Löfgren and Richard Orange.

Not yet a member of The Local? Join now with this special offer for podcast listeners.

Here are links to some of the topics discussed in the episode:

• Swedish Left Party leader finally speaks on election fraud allegations
• Swedish Election Authority criticises ballot paper system
• Newly elected MP steps aside amid Swedish electoral fraud probe

• EXPLAINED: What needs to happen for Sweden to get a new prime minister?
• Behind closed doors, Sweden's Left and Centre parties are still miles apart

• UPDATE: Strike threat lifted as Candy Crush maker signs collective agreement
• More unions join pending strike at Swedish Candy Crush maker
• Q&A: Why Swedish unions are launching a strike at the games maker King

Zara Larsson clip credit: Heart Radio

Thumbnail photo: Left Party leader Nooshi Dadgostar. Magnus Hjalmarson Neideman/SVD/TT

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In this week’s Sweden in Focus Extra, The Local's Mandy Pipher tells us about the bureaucratic nightmare surrounding her recent trip to Canada. 

Living in Sweden on a residence permit can be a risky business, not least given that almost everyone who does so has strong connections to another country and needs to travel frequently.

But if your residency card is in the process of being renewed while you're travelling, you risk being shut out of Sweden on your return.

In this episode, host James Savage talks to podcast regular Mandy Pipher about her struggles ahead of a recent trip home to Canada.

READ ALSO:

• OPINION: Yes, Swedish immigrants vote in their own interests – just like other voters

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This week: Final election results, far right blames immigrants for loss, and what the election outcome means for foreigners in Sweden.  

200,000 foreigners who have become Swedish citizens are to blame for Sweden’s tiny swing to the left – and in particular for the losses suffered by the Sweden Democrats. That’s the claim being made by the party as it grapples with a surprise electoral reverse in Sunday’s election.

But is it accurate to say that immigrants won this election for the Left?

Host James Savage is joined this week by panelists Mandy Pipher and Richard Orange. 

Here are links to some of the topics discussed in the episode:

• Kristersson resigns as PM after Sweden's centre-left opposition wins election
• Jimmie Åkesson reportedly plans break if Sweden Democrats enter opposition
• OPINION: The misunderstood Centre Party could learn from Ebba Busch
• 'It's tighter than I thought': How do foreigners in Sweden feel about the election?
• What does Sweden's unexpectedly close election result mean for foreigners?
• Swedish government scenarios: What happens now?

Thumbnail on Spotify: Social Democrat party leader Magdalena Andersson and party secretary Tobias Baudin celebrate with supporter on election night. Photo: Jonas Ekströmer/TT

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All three parties in the governing coalition increased their vote share while the Sweden Democrats lost ground.

On the left, meanwhile, the Social Democrats had a terrible election, while all the other parties had something to celebrate.

So why did the government parties do better than expected? What went wrong for the two biggest parties on the right and left?

And what is Sweden's next government likely to look like? 

Nicholas Aylott, associate politics professor at Södertörn University, gives his views in a conversation with The Local's Richard Orange.  

READ ALSO:

• Centre Party 'ready to start talks' with Social Democrats on new Swedish government

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In this week’s Sweden in Focus Extra our panelists try to make sense of a dizzying election night.

Sweden’s election threw up some major surprises on Sunday night.

The Liberals cleared the parliamentary threshold by a respectable margin having languished way beneath the four percent limit ever since the last election.

The Social Democrats are seemingly on course for their worst election ever – but leader Magdalena Andersson could still be headed for a second stint as Sweden’s prime minister.

The incumbent, Ulf Kristersson, meanwhile can breathe a sigh of relief as his Moderate Party regained its position as Sweden’s second biggest party.

Their rise came at the expense of the Sweden Democrats, whose vote share dropped for the first time ever in a national election.

But what does it all mean for the business of forming a new government?

Host James Savage is joined this week by podcast regulars Emma Löfgren and Richard Orange.

READ ALSO:

• What does Sweden's unexpectedly close election result mean for foreigners?

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